A free disputation against pretended liberty of conscience tending to resolve doubts moved by Mr. John Goodwin, John Baptist, Dr. Jer. Taylor, the Belgick Arminians, Socinians, and other authors contending for lawlesse liberty, or licentious toleration of sects and heresies. / By Samuel Rutherfurd professor of divinity in the University of St. Andrews.

CHAP. VII. What opinions 〈…〉〈…〉 (Book 7)

BUt are there no far off 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at all to be 〈…〉〈…〉 not learned men give divers and contrary expositions 〈◊〉〈◊〉 one and the same text of Scripture and hath not the Church suffered errours and erronious 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in godly 〈◊〉〈◊〉 men in all ages even in 〈◊〉〈◊〉, 〈…〉〈…〉 have not implored the sword of the 〈…〉〈…〉 them, though all errours printed and preached hurt the soules of others more or lesse.

Answ. Some errors are about things that God 〈◊〉〈◊〉 indifferent, for the time, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 opinion and 〈…〉〈…〉 meate•• and dayes, Rom. 14. 1 Cor. 8. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in these, God gives an indulgence, and bid•• us so long as the date of indifferency in doreth, bea with the 〈…〉〈…〉 1 Cor. 8. you shall not finde that Paul 〈…〉〈…〉 with the un∣limited practise of dayes and meates 〈…〉〈…〉 and in all cases, as for the case of scandall, 〈…〉〈…〉 the practise, to the scandalizing of the weake, and calleth it soul-murther, and here it in like the Church may suffer sinfull ignorances, for ••s the Magistrate is not to publish all externals,* 1.1 sinnes of inf••rmity against the second table, ••or then humaine societies must be dissolved, and 〈…〉〈…〉 subsist, except there be a reciprocall ye••lding to the infir∣mities of men, as they are weake and 〈◊〉〈◊〉; as we must not make a man an offender for a word, though it bee a hasty and sinful word, even in a family where the Lord of the house hath the power of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and proportionally in other societies, we would heare Solomon saying, Eccles. 7. 21 Also take not heed to all words that are spoken, least thou leave thy servant curse thee. So it would appeare, that some lower errours, that are farre off, without the compasse of the ordinary discerning of man, and lye at a distance from the 〈…〉〈…〉 on (as fundametals, and Gospell promises lye heard the heart of Christ) may bee dispensed with as a conjectur••, what became of the meate that Christ eats after his resur∣rection,

when he was now in the state of immortality, and some probable opinions that, neither better the holder, no•• much promove or hinder the edification of others, are not much to be 〈◊〉〈◊〉, save that 〈…〉〈…〉 is sinfull, and happily may bee tollerated: or whether the heavens and 〈◊〉〈◊〉, after the day of judgement, shall be 〈…〉〈…〉 and turned to nothing, and be no 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or if 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shal be renewed, and delivered from vanity and indeed with new 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to stand 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as lasting and eternall 〈…〉〈…〉 and witnesses of the glory of God▪ 〈…〉〈…〉 Christs, and the redeemed in heaven in 〈…〉〈…〉 live in glory to be eternall lectures, and testimonies of the glory of the Lord, Redeemer and Sanctifier of his people▪ 〈…〉〈…〉 most probable, and the Scripture may 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to say much some other side.

2 For diverse expositions of one and 〈…〉〈…〉 Heavens and new Earth, when 〈…〉〈…〉 of the expositions, so farre as is revealed ••o the godly and learned, who in this life doe but know and prophesie in part, doe neither doubt the fundation, 〈…〉〈…〉 truth, that is non-fundamentall, we think the opinion of both may be tollerated, even though the one of them be in it selfe an errour, and that upon the ground that Church and Magistrates both are to tollerate, not to punish these infirmities, against both tables, that are the necessary re∣sults of sin originall, common to all men, as men, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 about with them a body of sin. And the like I say ano∣ther the like opinions about matters of religion, and e∣specially matters of fact, as the virginity of Mary for all her life.

3 Such opinions and practise ••••as make an evident schisme in a Church,* 1.2 and set up two distinct Churches, of different formes of Government, and pretending to different insti∣tutions of Christ, of which the one must by the nature of their principles labour the destruction of the other, cannot be tollerated, &c. for each pretending their fellow Churches to bee of man, and so of the devill, though they should both make one true invisible Church, agreeing in all fun∣damentals, and many other truths, yet sure the whole

should be a Kingdome devided against it selfe, 〈…〉〈…〉 destroyeth peace much 〈…〉〈…〉 the devisions of one and the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Church of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 though they pretended not to be different Churches, for those that said they were of Paul professed they could not be disciples of Peter, but he sharpely rebuked them 〈◊〉〈◊〉 man, and such as devided Christ, and by consequence must say, Paul was crucified for them, and was their redeemer, and so, if obstinately they had proceeded 〈◊〉〈◊〉 that separation, Paul would have none on to higher censures of the Church: farre more could he not end••••e gathering of true Churches out of true Churches, which is the professed practise of Independents: and yet both sides pretending the spirit of descerning; could say, the spirit testifies to my soule that Paul is the onely called preacher, and the other, nay but to my discerning Cepha•• or Peter is the onely man, that I can heare or follow. And a third, nay, not any on earth, nor any ministery wil I acknowledge, but Jesus Christ whom the heavens must containe till the last day, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 my onely, onely preacher, now if a Jezabel come in and say no ministry is to be heard but Christ, and turne away all from hearing the word, and not suffer Sergiur 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or any other to hear Paul or any godly minister, sure Jezabel should be a per∣verter of the right wayes of the Lord, and so not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 suffered.

4 As touching opinions more manifesty erronious a•• Justine Marty•• his saving of men 〈◊〉〈◊〉, of they used the light of nature wel, though they were ignorant of Christ, the Montanisme of Tertullian, and his way of damning 〈◊〉〈◊〉 mariage (which the very Jesuit Tole••u•• commiteur in Joan. Said he wrote contro fidem Catholicam, against the Catholick faith) and Augustine his condemning of all in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 dying without Baptisme, and Origen his 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at a so•••• of purgatory af∣ter death, the greek fathers their presidence of good works, and faith as the causes of predestination, their Pelag••••nisme and Semi-p••lagianisme touching men•• freewll beginning and meeting Gods grace, especially, hard sayings of Chrysostome, Greg•••• Nyssy••••••, and others, and the 〈…〉〈…〉 Hieronymus, nostrum est incipere & dei 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈…〉〈…〉

extolling of the Bishop if Rome, for personall gifts, their orations of 〈…〉〈…〉 to the Martyrs dead; without 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 with that doubtsome condition, if there be 〈◊〉〈◊〉 feeling of our affaires in the dead, which was the ground worke of invocation of Saints, it is a question and to be proved, whether the Church and Christian Magistrate (when th•••• were any) should tollerate these, for some opinions to truths are as brasse, so as we cannot put a stamp of necessity of edification on them, and some are peeces of gold and foundation stones, so other truths are neare of blood to fundamentalls, and pinnings in the wall, though not foun∣dations, and because the want of them may hurt the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they must goe as peeces of current silver.

Onely two or three objections must be removed;* 1.3 As 1. Rom. 14. They erred against a Law of God▪ who kept dayes, and abstained from mea••s, concei••ing that the conscience of Gods Law, did injoyne such a practises whereas there was no such Law now, the Apostle was perswaded there were no creatures uncleane now; but to him, who, through error of conscience, believed they were uncleane, v. 14. Yea the earth bring the Lords, they might eat swines flesh or meats, though sacrificed to Idols, without conscience of a Law, 1 Cor. c. 8. c. 10. yet Paul is so far from censuring such weake ones, that he bid•• receive them as brethren, and not trouble them with thorny disputations.

Answ. Paul bids receive them, ergo, he bids tollerate them all together; it follows not, he will have them informed that there is no such divine Law that presseth them, and so a morall tolleration of not refuting their error is denyed to them.

2. He bids receive them in a practice in it selfe, for that time, indifferent (for 1 Cor. 8. 8. Neither if they did eat, were they the better, nor if they did not eat, were they the worse) but onely erroneous in the manner, because of the twilight and spark∣lings of the light of the Gospell not fully promulgated to the Jewes. Will it follow that the Jewes should be tollera∣ted still, and perpetually to circumcise and keepe the Cere∣moniall law, and to teach others so to doe? for Libertines contend for a constant and perpetuall tolleration of all Jewish and sinfull practises.

Ob. 2. Paul speaking of Ceremonies, Ph. 3. 15. saith, Let us therefore, as many to be perfect, be th•••• minded, and if, in any thing, ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveale even this unto you. 16. Neverthelesse whereunto we have attained, let us walke by the s••me rule, let us minde the same things.

Answ. This is the onely Magna Charta abused for liberty of conscience, which yet crosseth it, but favours it now. Paul giveth two rules, neither of them are for tolleration, but against it; the one is for the minde within, the other for the practice without: for the former, he willeth all the perfect to minde this, that is, to endeavour Pauls one thing, and to be followers of him, v. 17. forgetting that which is behind, and pressing toward the marke, and if any be otherwise minded in the matter of circumcision, if he minde the journey toward the garland, God shall cleare his doubts to him there is nothing here for Libertines, except we say, let all the godly minde to walke toward the garland,* 1.4 by practising circumcision, (as if that were the way) and by tollerating of others to pra∣ctise Jewish Ceremonies, and if they be otherwise minded, God shall reveale their error, but in the meane time we are to suffer them to minde that, for the which Paul saith, their end is destruction, their belly their God, and they are dogs and evill doers, v. 19. 2. 3. as for the other rule of practise, v. 16. If it plead for Libertines, the sense must be, as far as we have obtai∣ned the minde of Christ let us practise, that is, let us be circumcised, and teach and professe and publish to others, all the heresies and blas∣phemies that seeme to us to be true doctrine according to this rule, and let us minde the same thing, let us contend for the garland, and walk∣ing according to our conscience our onely rule, and practising unlawfull ceremonies, and publishing and professing all the heresies we can, we minde the same crowne and garland. Now except walking ac∣cording to the rule be restricted to carefull and diligent practising of these things in which we all agree, which must exclude a practising or publishing of doctrines controver∣ted, and that we should abstain from practising and publish∣ing of opinions in which we agree not, nothing can be ex∣torted hence in favour of tolleration. Our brethren say, Let us gather Churches out of true Churches, and separate our selves from true Churches, and preach Familisme, Antinomianisme, Arri∣anisme,

and what not? and then we walke according to the same rule, which must be most contradictory to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Holy Ghost, and therefore Libertines durst 〈◊〉〈◊〉 draw a formall argument for tolleration out of these or any other places, but bring us such reasons as by the nine∣teenth consequence comes not up to the purpose; for by the glosse of Libertines, Let us walke according to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 rule, must be, Let us practise and walke (for it cannot be meant ••f heart-opinions) according to the known rule conceived by our conscience to be right (though it may be wrong and sinfull) and so let us be circum∣cised, and make a faire shew in the flesh as the false Apostles did, for if some beleeved circumcision, and the Law to be necessary for justification, then Paul must bid them walke contrary to their light, and then the perfect had attained light to pra∣ctise unlawfull Jewish ceremonies.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Some far off errors may bee tollerated.
• * 1.2

  Schisme and actuall gather∣ing of churches out of churches cannot be tol∣lerated.
• * 1.3

  The place Ro. 14. willing us to receive the weake, no plea for tolleration.
• * 1.4

  The place Philip. 3. 15. Let us walke according to the same rule, &c. nothing 〈◊〉〈◊〉 tolleration.